Fun Easter facts

Like many holidays, Easter has its roots in both religious and pagan celebrations. In religious terms, Easter is the most holy Christian holiday, because it is the celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection.

But the holiday also signifies the coming of spring, rebirth and renewal. In fact, the word Easter is derived from the Scandinavian fertility goddess "Ostra," whose festival was associated with the spring equinox.

Easter's most well known symbols are the egg and the rabbit, both of which are associated with fertility. In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent, and then were brightly painted and given to children at Easter. In Greece, eggs are died red to signify Christ's blood. The Germans poke holes in their eggs, blow out the insides, and hang them on trees. In Russia and Eastern Europe, eggs are often elaborately painted in silver and gold or covered in wax.